U of A Team Leads Immersive VR Workshop at Black Wall Street HBCU & AI Conference
Chy'Na NellonWorkshop flyer
Faculty and researchers from the U of A recently facilitated an immersive virtual reality (VR) workshop at the Black Wall Street HBCU + AI Conference, held this past Friday and Saturday. The conference brings together HBCUs, educators and innovators to explore the intersections of artificial intelligence, technology and Black educational futures.
The workshop was led by Chy'Na Nellon, M.A., M.Ed., assistant director of Learning Innovation and Assessment and Ph.D. candidate in cultural studies; Micheal Hall, M.A., instructor of Game Design I and II and fellow Ph.D. candidate in cultural studies; and Dr. David Fredrick. Together, the team designed an interactive session centered on Black virtual reality experiences and emerging approaches to immersive learning.
The session featured a curated set of VR experiences, including 1,000 Cut Journey, Traveling While Black and MLK: Now Is the Time. These works were paired with Nellon's doctoral research, which explores digital storytelling, immersive archives and the ethical responsibilities of representing Black life, memory and community in virtual spaces.
Through these experiences, students were guided through interactive environments that challenged them to think critically about narrative perspective, embodiment and the role of technology in shaping cultural memory. The workshop emphasized how immersive design can move beyond passive consumption and instead position learners as participants within complex social and historical narratives.
For many attendees, this was their first time engaging with VR technology. High school and college students from Little Rock and Stillman College collaborated throughout the session, sharing reactions and reflecting on how immersive storytelling differs from traditional learning methods.
Following the VR experiences, participants engaged in a guided discussion about the future of extended reality (XR) in education. Students were encouraged to consider what stories remain untold and how they might use immersive tools to create their own meaningful, community-centered experiences. The workshop also created opportunities for institutional collaboration. The U of A team connected with Dr. Hill, who leads the new Meta Lab at Arkansas Baptist College, opening the door for future partnerships in immersive technology and digital learning.
The research of Nellon, Hall and Fredrick centers on the intersection of interactive educational experiences, traditional learning environments, engagement and applied practice. Their work aims to ensure that students not only engage with innovative technologies but also leave with transferable skills in critical thinking, storytelling, collaboration and digital design.
On the second day of the conference, Nellon also participated in a panel discussion on the future of artificial intelligence, with a focus on its implications for communities of color and the evolving role of HBCUs in shaping ethical and culturally responsive technological futures.
Dr. Fredrick serves as an adviser to both Nellon and Hall, who are members of the U of A's 2022 Ph.D. cohort in cultural studies.
Through workshops like this, U of A faculty continue to expand the boundaries of teaching and research, demonstrating how immersive technologies can be used not only as tools for engagement but as platforms for cultural storytelling, critical inquiry and community-centered innovation.
For more information on this research please contact cnellon@uark.edu.
